Ronnie Van Zant (Lynyrd Skynyrd) Personally Owned & Signed Lucky Blue Jeans Worn on the day the band signed with MCA Records Comes with photographs, Notarized Letter of Provenance, AP News Teletype printout & More - This museum worthy collection of rock n' roll history contains a pair of denim blue jeans which were personally owned and worn by Ronnie Van Zant, the original lead vocalist of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Our seller received these pants directly from Ronnie Van Zant one day in the summer of 1974. In a highly detailed notarized letter of provenance the seller recounts his experience on that day when he met Ronnie Van Zant and some of the band members at the Holiday Inn. This day was the infamous day the band trashed a room at the Holiday Inn in Louisville, KY. The pants will be accompanied by (7) photographs of that day, including a photo of Ronnie Van Zant signing the pants. Please note that the signatures have now faded due to age, as is stated in the letter of provenance. Our auction house took photos of the signatures under a black light. According to our seller, he remained a fan of the group, staying in contact with Van Zant. In October, 1977 our seller learned those meetings would come to an abrupt end when the seller was at his local radio station in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This is when he learned about the plane crash that would change Rock n’ Roll forever. According to the letter of provenance, he had "talked with Ronnie and we were to meet the plane and see the show." Our client was standing reading the Associated Press news teletype, when information ran across regarding a plane crash. He tore the paper off and ran into the newsroom where he then called the hospital and discovered the tragedy. He began to write the conditions of each passenger on the plane on the teletype paper. It was at that moment that the DJ read the unfortunate news that Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary, and co-pilot William Gray were all killed on impact. This is a collection of a caliper that GWS Auctions has never seen. GWS Auctions specializes in memorabilia owned by celebrities and it is a rare occurrence that we see this level of provenance on an item owned by such a significant figure. No one knew these pants existed as they have been in our seller’s hands since 1974. This collection is truly museum worthy and would also make a magnificent addition to a personal collection. Items once owned by Ronnie Van Zant are extremely rare as he passed at only 29 years of age. His voice is what made songs like Free Bird and Sweet Home Alabama Rock N’ Roll anthems. Ronnie Van Zant was inducted into the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. These pants are among the few items ever offered for auction that were owned by Ronnie Van Zant.